BERLIN – Germany’s automotive watchdog cleared Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot semi-autonomous driving system, pave the way for Daimler AG Subsidiary started offering Drive Pilot international.
The highly automated system allows drivers to focus on other activities while cars equipped with this technology are stuck in traffic or on congested highways, Mercedes-Benz said in a statement on Thursday.
The German agency KBA approved the system based on the technical requirements set forth in the United Nations regulations.
“KBA is setting national, European and international standards for road safety on autonomous driving roads,” Richard Damm, the agency’s president, said in a statement.
In addition to the United Nations regulation of technical requirements, countries must also pass legislation clarifying where and how such systems can be used, as well as issues of liability. .
“With this important milestone, we are once again demonstrating our pioneering work in autonomous driving and also the beginning of a radical paradigm shift,” said Markus Schaefer. Daimler Technology Director.
As soon as the law in China and the United States is ready, Mercedes-Benz will offer the system in those markets, Schaefer added.
German approval means Mercedes-Benz can offer S-Class with Drive Pilot for customers in Germany in the first half of 2022.
Such level 3 automated systems have been approved for use in Germany since 2017. According to Mercedes-Benz, there are more than 13,100 kilometers (8,140 miles) of motorways suitable for the Drive Pilot system in Germany. Sincerely yours by the German Government Tesla Autopilot, compare, like a level 2 system.
With Drive Pilot, the driver can control the system in slow-moving traffic and focus on making phone calls, writing e-mails, surfing the Internet or watching movies. The KBA has approved the system for driving speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour). It has yet to decide whether to clear it for speeds up to 130 km/h or a lane-changing assistant that will automatically overtake another vehicle.
Includes reporting from Bloomberg.
